The Next Sorceress
by Rebellious Princess
Summary: Squall is Headmaster of Balamb, Rinoa is dying of the deadly Sorceress Syndrome, Irvine is pronounced M.I.A although pop star Selphie has been having visions of him. Quistis still pines after Squall, and Ellone has declared a war on Sorceressess...
1. The Letter

Squall Leonhart, Headmaster of Balamb Garden, was not enjoying his day. It had taken him quite a while to get adjusted into this new role, and he was still not entirely comfortable, even though he had been doing it for the past six months – ever since the terrible Ultimecia War had ended. After that beautiful starry night in which Garden had floated peacefully across the ocean, everyone made it back to Balamb safely. As soon as they did, however, Cid Kramer announced that he would be taking his much-needed retirement, and without wasting anymore time, packed his bags and headed for the old orphanage, along with his wife Edea. He left everything to Squall – including the decision of what to do with the now unnecessary military academy – after all, there was no point training up new SeeD cadets. There were no more evil Sorceresses for them to fight.

Luckily for Squall, Garden's mobility mechanisms had become caked with rust, and broken beyond repair … well, maybe they could be repaired by the star technicians at Fisherman's Horizon. But Squall was quite happy for Garden to stay where it was, in its original spot near Balamb – this easily ruled out any ideas the students or any outside parties had of moving it to a new location, or for the Garden to become some sort of travelling hotel. _Honestly_, he thought to himself, as he flicked through page after page of silly suggestions. A travelling hotel? A home for abandoned kittens?

Then suddenly he came across a very interesting looking envelope, which had the recognisable blue emblem of Esthar stamped across it.

"Ellone," Squall muttered under his breath with distaste while shaking his head slightly. He ripped open the envelope, unfolded the neatly written letter inside, and began to read.

"_Dear Brother. It has come to my attention that this is the **fourth** time my letters to you have been rather rudely ignored. May I not remind you that our dear Matron brought us up to become polite, caring adults?"_

Squall rolled his eyes. Ellone always had to bring Edea into the matter, didn't she? Trying to make him feel guilty, he supposed.

_"The least I ask from you is a consideration for my, frankly, quite reasonable request. Yes, Sorceress Tombs have been erected both in Galbadia's Deling City, and the remote Timber. I have also seen to it that there are a large number of Tombs in my own city, my beloved Esthar. Now I request of you that your useless academy be sold as scrap, and a large Sorceress Tomb placed in the crater it sits in. Or, even better, may I also suggest that the academy could possibly be a mobile Tomb – to be moved to any location in the world, wherever one of their kind may be. I can offer you a generous budget of just over a million gil, should you need it, which I presume you will."_

Six months ago, Squall and all the members of his team who fought in the Ultimecia War would have been both confused and horrified at Ellone's manner – but over the short half year, the young Headmaster had become quite used to it. This patronising tone didn't surprise him at all. Ellone didn't even use Balamb Garden's name when referring to it – she just called it 'the academy.'

_"Perhaps it would be possible for us to meet up in person. Enclosed are two train tickets that will bring you straight into the city of Esthar on a private express line from Deling City. You may bring one guest. I am patiently waiting for you to attend – as is father, who is very eager to see you indeed. I understand he will be back from the Centra continent within the next fortnight."_

_"Yours, President Ellone Loire of Esthar."_

Ironically, there was a kiss at the bottom under Ellone's signature. Squall peered into the envelope and sure enough, there were two train tickets inside. So, Ellone was still deadly serious about her Tomb plan. Squall shook his head with disappointment and wondered exactly how such a gentle soul, a free spirit, a kind and polite young woman, could turn out the way she had. And in only six months.

President Laguna Loire, craving for his past life of both writing and fighting, had set off on another adventure with his two friends, leaving his precious Elle to become the President of possibly the largest, most technologically advanced city in the world. She had somewhat reluctantly taken up the offer, but everyone knew she could cope. With gentle Ellone at the head of a powerful empire, there would probably be no more wars ever again.

How wrong they all were. In a short space of time, the incredible power that had simply fallen into Ellone's lap seemed to have gone straight to her head. It was a terrible experience waking up every night, tangled in her bed sheets and letting out blood-curdling screeches and wails throughout the Presidential Residence. Everyone knew how much Ellone had been through at the time of the Ultimecia War, but few knew exactly how much it affected her. She needed someone to blame. She needed something – _anything_ – to direct her hatred and anger at, something to completely distract her from the pain she felt in her life.

She chose Sorceresses, and had spent at least four months brutally campaigning that the world be rid of every single last one of them – the young and the old, the good and the bad, the strong and the weak. Fortunately, she had not taken too many steps towards achieving this goal – aside from putting up a few Sorceress Tombs here and there, which was fairly harmless, if not a little threatening, it could be said. She had decided to do this shortly after the Tomb that originally held Sorceress Adel, and at one point, Sorceress Rinoa, had been destroyed as a celebration that the War was over. Everyone decided that Ellone would probably get over this obsession in another month or so, and finally begin to settle down.

Unfortunately, Ellone's behaviour had caused a sort of rift, family wise. Laguna, probably diving off cliffs into the ocean and battling monsters with his bare hands on the other side of the world, was blissfully unaware of Ellone's erratic behaviour.

Squall, on the other hand, was quite aware of it, and he was not pleased. He had been sent continuous letters from Ellone, all of them as pompous and patronising as the last. But with the love of his life being a Sorceress, he was hardly going to join a wild campaign that had the intention of murdering the lot of them. Ellone had been furious that her brother had been taken away from her – and by a Sorceress, no less.

"As far as I'm concerned," she remarked sharply one day to an aide, "Those _witches_ have ruined my life before it has even begun."

Squall put Ellone's behaviour down to pure jealousy. She was sickeningly bitter that her brothers attention was on "his witch of a girlfriend," and not her, as she felt it should have been. He only hoped that it would pass in time. And sooner rather than later.

As he gave another sad shake of the head, Squall crumpled up both the sheet of paper and the envelope, tossing them into a wastebin before looking down at the blue and grey train tickets that were sitting innocently on his desk.

He decided to keep them.


	2. Awash With Joy

On the other side of the world, far off in the South West, the ocean was quiet and peaceful. Seagulls plopped themselves gently onto the deep blue blanket of water and let the waves carry them along. But just as a small group of the sea birds gathered onto the welcoming waves, a bleached blonde head broke the surface of the water, making a great show of coughing, spluttering and splashing, all at the same time.

The soggy young man caught his breath, and gulped in the air as if he was a new-born who had never yet tested the sweet oxygen of the world. He seemed disorientated for a few moments, darting his head around wildly, before a hysterical grin grew across his face when he noticed a rusty old building standing before him, erected in the middle of the ocean. He cried out with joy and raced towards it as if his life depended on it.

The Deep Sea Research Center stuck out like a sore thumb among the beautiful ocean – and an ugly sore thumb at that. Huge and intimidating, but rusty and dilapidated after years of not being in use, it was like a temple to the young man who now swam towards it. Hoisting himself up onto a thick steel ladder, he eagerly shook his light grey coat from his arms and carelessly let it sink into the water. A cross emblem on the shoulder was the last thing to disappear out of sight as the coat was lost forever.

Seifer Almasy, former Balamb Garden student and former Sorceress' Knight to boot, felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders – and he had good reason. After six months, _six months_ of starvation, torment, and pure boredom, he had reached civilisation. Well, not civilisation exactly – but it was land. Well, no, it wasn't land either. But at least it _wasn't water_! No more Hyne-foresaken water, water, _water_!

As Seifer strode across the supported metal platform, surprised that his legs could still hold him up, he shook the water from himself like a dog. Reaching up to pull his soaking wet, bleached blonde fringe from his face, he tilted his head back and bathed in the sunlight. He felt free. The nightmare was finally over.

Seifer noted that there was a huge building here to be explored, but at the moment all he wanted to do was sit down. And eat. After many months of floating about on a raft, surviving mainly on fish, he was more than ready for a huge slap up meal – although he was pretty sure there wouldn't be one waiting for him here. But after thinking about it, he did eventually decide to wander into the dark, unwelcoming building.

The atmosphere inside was terrible. First of all, it stank. The only word that Seifer could think of to describe the horrible stench was … wet. Everything just smelt, and was, wet. Not to mention salty. Seifer could barely see a thing, and tripped and stumbled across thick, tangled wires that ran from one end of the main chamber to the other, before eventually finding what looked like some sort of storage cupboard.

There was not a single person or living creature in this place, but Seifer had expected that. He wasn't stupid. In fact, he was awfully intelligent. So how did a once proud SeeD wannabe come to end up in such a state?

Seifer, Fuujin and Raijin had floated off merrily away from the sunny continent, with nothing but a fishing rod and their wits among them. Seifer had assumed that the three would eventually turn up in an exotic location, perhaps somewhere with gorgeous weather and pretty girls - but it was not to be. Their makeshift raft headed straight for The Middle Of Nowhere, and both Raijin and Fuujin had met a rather unfortunate fate, a little something going by the name of Fastitocalon. Oh, but this just wasn't any Fastitocalon. It was an extremely large and extremely angry Fastitocalon, especially since the dumb Raijin had tried to snatch one of its young to eat. _But, oh well,_ Seifer had shrugged, _at least they went down together_.

After finding a can of processed food and giving it a sniff, Seifer was content that it was probably safe to eat. He gleefully headed back out into the blissful sunlight and sat on the deck, his legs dangling over the edge. He wolfed down the meal, which to any normal person would have been disgusting. To Seifer, it was delicious. Without his coat on, he could now see his arms, and was genuinely shocked at how skinny they were. He wondered about exactly how much weight he must have lost, and a lump rose up into his throat as he thought how easily he could have died, caught pneumonia, drowned…

_Still_, he thought smugly while gently fingering the huge scar that ran across his forehead, _I was obviously meant to live for a reason …_

…_I wonder what old Leonhart's up to these days…?_


	3. Visions

"And now will you please welcome onto the stage, the beautiful pop sensation, all the way from Trabia … Miss Selphie Tilmitt!"

The crowd of thousands of people that were packed into the futuristic Deling City stadium went wild, as huge bright lights brought the stage out of darkness, and a spotlight centred on a petite, brown haired girl. She bounced enthusiastically onto the stage with all the hyperactive energy of a young child, and a huge, happy grin on her face. The echoed voice of the announcer died out as a fast beat was introduced, booming loudly out of speakers that were placed all around the audience. Backing singers, dancers and musicians, all in the same garish, brightly coloured costumes, followed Selphie out onto the stage.

"Deling cit-_ay_!" Selphie greeted her audience with a laugh. "Welcome to the show! Before we get things started, I just wanna thank each and every one of you for comin' down!"

She walked from one end of the stage to the other as she said this, pointing and waving to her adoring fans. The crowd cheered again, people jumped up and down, chanted Selphie's name, and waved huge banners in the air.

Selphie Tilmitt, ex SeeD member and Trabia pop sensation, was on the second leg of her very first worldwide tour, promoting her debut album, entitled _Cowgirl_. The high spirited young woman had finally achieved her dream – she was a famous singer with her very own band, and she couldn't have been happier.

Dressed in a bright yellow dress – her favourite colour – and with her hair flicked out in her trademark style, she and her dancers first entertained the crowd with a fast, energetic dance routine. After much applause, Selphie then made her way up to a small raised platform in the centre of the stage, and began to sing a catchy pop song as a different style of background music kicked in.

"This first song goes out to all my old friends at Garden!" Selphie explained cheerily into the microphone. "It's a remix of a sweet little song called _Eyes on Me_."

_"Whenever sang my songs  
On the stage, on my own  
Whenever said my words  
Wishing they would be heard  
I saw you smiling at me  
Was it real or just my fantasy  
You'd always be there in the corner  
Of this tiny little bar."_

"_My last night here for you  
Same old songs, just once more  
My last night here with you?  
Maybe yes, maybe no  
I kind of liked it your way  
How you shyly placed your eyes on me  
Did you ever know  
That I had mine on you?"_

"_Darling, so there you are  
With that look on your face  
As if you're never hurt  
As if you're never down  
Shall I be the one for you  
Who pinches you softly but sure  
If frown is shown then  
I will know that you are no dreamer."_

"_So let me come to you  
Close as I wanted to be  
Close enough for me  
To feel your heart beating fast  
And stay there as I whisper  
How I loved your peaceful eyes on me  
Did you ever know  
That I had mine on you?"_

"_Darling, so share with me  
Your love if you have enough  
Your tears if you're holding back  
Or pain if that's what it is  
How can I let you know  
I'm more than the dress and the voice?  
Just reach me out then  
You will know that you're not dreaming."_

The song finished with an impressive, lengthy drum ending, and yet more wild dancing, before Selphie hopped back onto the raised center platform to begin the next track.

Taking in a deep breath and getting ready to speak into the microphone again, to give an introduction to the track _Memories_, that was when she saw him.

The dark brown cowboy hat bobbed in and out of the crowds, but was not noticed by anyone else, as they were all paying attention to the concert. There was a swish of light green as his undone coat fluttered about, and his long rifle bounced up and down on his shoulder, mimicking his footsteps. With a flick of his long brown hair and a polite tip of his hat, he slowly turned his head and gazed up at Selphie with dazzling eyes and a cheeky smile.

A horribly large lump rose up into Selphie's throat. She clutched desperately at her microphone with both hands, wanting to believe that what she had just seen was as real as it had seemed. The next song had already begun without her, but her mouth had suddenly become so dry, she couldn't sing. She didn't even know if she could talk, or move. After feeling a sudden overwhelming urge to be violently sick, she whirled around too fast, lost her balance as her eyes became cloudy, and collapsed onto the hard floor of the stage in an unconscious heap.

When she woke up, many hours later, Selphie was no longer on the stage. For a few moments she was quite disorientated and couldn't figure out where she was, until she saw a pair of casual red and black shoes on the floor right by her face – and she worked out that she was backstage, in her dressing room, on her bed.

The owner of the shoes, a bulky-looking blonde haired young man, helped the singer to her feet and sat her down in a nearby comfy chair.

"What happened, Zell?" she asked groggily while rubbing her eyes. They stung badly, as if she had been crying non-stop for hours.

Zell Dincht, Selphie's official tour manager, personal assistant, public relations manager, general aide and of course best friend, had changed quite noticeably since the Ultimecia War. He had grown upwards, but also outwards, albeit only a small amount. He had a broad, bulky chest, his upper arms were like tree trunks, and his face looked very mature now, due to a coating of blonde stubble around his mouth, chin and jaw line. But Zell was still recognisable as the peppy young SeeD member he once was. The intricate, detailed black tattoo that ran up the left side of his face remained, as did the overly styled blonde spikes that were his hair.

Zell noisily pulled up a chair, scraping the legs across the floor, and sat down next to his friend with a rather grim look on his face. He kindly reached out for one of her hands, which was shaking, and held it tightly.

"You've been out for about three hours," he explained, slowly and gently, "I saw you turn around, then you seemed to loose your balance and collapsed. You were hurried off the stage and brought back here. You were crying in your sleep and shouting out … well, you kept repeating _his_ name. A few of us tried a couple'a times to wake you, but you were totally out of it. The audience went home, but don't worry, we haven't had any complaints – everyone's very worried about you. Selphie … what's going on?"

"I saw him again," Selphie blurted out with a great sob, then buried her face into her one hand that was free.

"Again?!" Zell repeated. "Hyne, Selph! That's the third time -"

"- this week! I know!" Selphie bawled, trying to hold back her tears, but they ran freely from her delicate eyes. She wiped them away urgently with shaking hands and tried very hard to compose herself, but it was useless.

"Selph," Zell began with concern, pulling his chair up even closer to her, "Don't take this the wrong way … but I think it's time we really thought seriously about seeing someone about all this."

"I'm not going mad!" Selphie protested, "He's there! He's really there, I know it! It _can't_ just be my imagination!"

Zell bit his lip. "Come on, Selph. Irvine's been missing for five months now. Police and soldiers have searched the whole world for him –three times over. He's officially been pronounced dead."

"No!" Selphie cried, lashing out at Zell, trying to push his chest. He easily caught both her wrists and tried desperately to calm her down, shushing her. She sunk into a heap onto the chair, quivering all over. She kept repeating, "He's not dead. I'll find him. He's not dead…"

Zell gave a huge sigh and looked at his friend with great pity. He felt so sorry for her, and he felt so helpless. Selphie _had_ seemed to be coping surprisingly well when it had been announced that Irvine Kinneas, Galbaia Garden student and member of the Ultimecia War team, was missing in action – presumed to be dead. There had been no funeral or service of any kind. No body was found, and no evidence to suggest that he had been at any major town or city in the world. There had been a search conducted, but it was useless. And over the past few weeks, Selphie had deteriorated into a helpless wreck, after she began having what could only be described as visions of Irvine – walking around, lifting up his hat, smoothing his hair – although she was the only one to ever see him. Selphie tried her best to keep up her bubbly image, especially while performing on stage, but it was now obviously proving to be much too difficult for the young woman.

"Come on, Selph," Zell said encouragingly. "Let's go back to Balamb Garden. Let's go home."

* * *

RP says: Just to let you know, in case you were wondering otherwise, I didn't write the song in this chapter. I once downloaded a remix of the Eyes On Me song and thought it sounded really good, so I could just imagine it here. I would have written my own, but I'm notexactly what you'd call a lyrical genius!


	4. Dying Wish

It was raining in Timber. Not gentle, calm rain, but ferocious, wild rain that thundered down at shop windows, threatening to break the fragile glass. The wind swept up fallen leaves, creating mini tornadoes, and howled through nooks and crannies in people's homes. The pet shop and item shops were closed, and no trains were running on this gloomy day. The bare trees darted back and forth, and there was a low rumble of thunder in the distance.

"Even the weather hates me," Rinoa Heartilly muttered sadly to herself, and pulled her knees up closer to her chin. The beautiful young Sorceress was hauled up in her bedroom, located at the very back of the Timber Owls train carriage. The train was stationary, as it always was these days, and all the lights were off because of a power cut, due to the terrible weather conditions. Zone and Watts had been seeing to it for the past half hour or so.

Rinoa barely left her room lately. She gazed through teary eyes at the dusky pink walls, which looked haunting and spooky in such dim light. She realised, like she did every day, that she was all alone. As far as Rinoa knew, the love of her life, the only person that had kept her going through every treacheous day, had teamed up with his Sorceress-hating little sister, and was currently campaigning for them all to be killed – including Rinoa. She had now convinced herself that there would be Esthar soldiers looking for her wherever she went, and for the past few months she had never set foot out of her home.

Unfortunately, the Sorceress was also gravely ill. Everyday she hacked and coughed so painfully that she was easily reduced to tears. Refusing to leave the base, Rinoa had not yet had a diagnosis from a doctor. Worried for their friend, Zone and Watts did much research into her symptoms, trying to figure out what was wrong, but they had so far come up with nothing. As well as the uncontrollable coughs, Rinoa also suffered from insomia. When she did fall asleep, she had awful nightmares. She talked in her sleep, sometimes sleepwalking too. The glow in her eyes had faded, her voice was weak, and her once peachy pink skin was now an unhealthy grey. Her hair didn't shine anymore, her teeth didn't glisten, and her face never broke into a smile. Rinoa was dying.

"We're back on line, sir!" Watts said happily as the duo entered Rinoa's bedroom. The light on the ceiling flickered on, and she grimaced, shiledling her face with her weak arms.

"Turn it off," she grunted, and the smile faded from Watts' face as he did as he was instructed. Rinoa didn't thank him, and instead busied herself by hoisting up the blanket that covered her shoulders. "Any news of Angelo?"

As if Rinoa's life hadn't span out of control enough already, her pet dog and faithful battle companion Angelo had been missing for the past fortnight. After the first couple of days everyone in the Timber Owls just imagined he had maybe gotten lost and would find his way back, or perhaps a local family had taken him in, thinking he was a stray. Zone and Watts put up hundereds of posters in the area, but so far, no luck. He had just run away, and didn't seem to be coming back.

Zone, who had entered just behind Watts, bit his bottom lip and shook his head slowly, looking at the rose coloured carpeted floor.

"Great," Rinoa muttered sarcastically, in a rasp that was barely audible, "Not even a dog can stand to be around me."

After idly fidgeting with the pane of the window right next to her bed, Rinoa rested her head on her knees and began to cry quietly. The whole thing was very painful for Zone and Watts. They had had to watch while their once happy, determined princess slowly slipped into depression and disease. It had not been easy. Rinoa hated to listen to or take part in any kind of optomistic speeches, persuasion, or even mindless chatter. She had stayed inside for too long to be coaxed back out into the real world. They simply didn't know what to do. Not even Watts, who was always so throuogh and reliable at finding information, could think of anything to help her. They didn't feel they had any choice but to leave her as she was.

"Anything else you need, Rinoa?" Zone asked gently, trying to be helpful. She had stopped crying now, and was staring blankly out of the window, as if in a trance. She didn't reply, so Zone turned to Watts, offering him a shrug, and the two left the room, closing the door behind them.

As soon as the door snapped shut, Rinoa leapt off the bed and hurried to her desk. Opening a drawer, she reached in and pulled out a silver lion charm. It had a chain attached from the head that was broken at the top, as if it had been snapped from something. The charm fit nicely into Rinoa's palm and she folded her wrist around it tightly, exactly like she had once done with a ring of a similar design …

Rinoa plopped herself back down on her comfy bed, and readjusted the blanket over her shoulders. Opening her wrist, she peered down at Griever and remembered the final battle against the _real_ Griever – the incarnation of what Squall saw as the most powerful being on the planet. It was still very clear in her mind; it was one of the many things that woke her up at night.

_Maybe I'm a lion_, Rinoa had once told herself proudly. Now she pocketed the lion charm on her chest, so it was close to her heart. It felt hot, as if it was alive, and she could feel warmth and love washing through her dying body. She breathed in through her nose, and out through her mouth, suddenly feeling very calm. She thought back to the last night she had spent with him, their first and last kiss, and the typically flirtatious way in which she had badgered him into letting her keep the charm…

They withdrew from the kiss gently, and Squall's face broke into a wide, genuine smile. Rinoa smiled back, and wandered over to the balcony, resting on the wide marble barrier. She gazed out at the ocean, and the stars that twinkled in its reflection, and the huge glowing moon that hung low in the sky. She was just thinking how it must have been the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, when she moved her foot slightly and noticed a large weapon leaning up against the banister by her ankles.

"Your gunblade," she told Squall, peering over her shoulder at him. He came over and picked up the heavy weapon with ease. "I guess you won't be needing it anymore."

"Then what should I do with it?" he inquired of her, resting it in both hands and joining her where she stood, leaning on the banister with his elbows.

"Keep it," she replied with a tiny smile, then glanced down at the handle of the blade. "Hey, is that Griever again?"

He looked to where her delicate finger was pointed, at the small charm which hung from a chain attached to the gunblade's handle.

"Yes," he grinned. "The same as my – _your_ ring."

He lifted up a gloved finger and gently tapped the ring that was looped through a thin silver chain around Rinoa's neck. She giggled and gently took his hand away.

"I think you should give me this then, too," she said forwardly, and Squall held up the gunblade for her.

"Alright then," he agreed. "Hold onto Griever, then we'll both tug. If you're strong enough to make the chain snap, you get to keep it. And if you aren't, I do."

"Okay!" Rinoa said brightly, and took the lion charm between both hands.

"And don't forget to make a wish!"

Back in the present, Rinoa heaved a great sigh as she removed the charm from her breast pocket. Tears fell onto it and slid off the cool metal.

She had been strong enough. The chain had snapped. And Rinoa had made a wish that night.

_I wish that we'll be together forever, Squall._


	5. Notice Me

Quistis Trepe had had an eventful life. A SeeD member at the tender age of 15, she became an Instructor at age 17, was demoted back to a being a SeeD and became a member of the Ultimecia War team at 18, and was now an Instructor again, just before her 19th birthday. She delicately pushed her glossy blonde hair behind her ears before giving a gentle tap on the Headmaster's office door.

"Come in," came a muffled, preoccupied voice, and Quistis opened the door before poking her head around it and holding up a clump of papers she held in her hand with a small smile.

"Some more suggestions for you, Squall," she said quietly, and he looked up from his desk, his face expressionless.

"Thanks, Quistis," he muttered with little enthusiasm. "Just leave them on the side, will you?"

_Damn_, Quistis thought to herself as Squall went back to his work without giving her another glance. This wasn't what she wanted. What Quistis wanted more than anything was passion, desire, love – for him to forget about work, forget about Garden, forget about his true love, who she prayed everyday would not return to him. Quistis knew this was incredibly selfish behaviour, and not like her at all – but she simply couldn't help the way she felt. A long time ago, during the Ultimecia War, she had come to the conclusion that her feelings for Squall were merely sisterly affection, since they had grown up in Edea's orphanage together. At the time, this revelation seemed to please both Quistis and everyone in her group, and she put it to the back of her mind for a very long time. But now that Rinoa was off the scene, Squall convinced that she no longer wanted anything to do with him … well, there was a chance. He had been kind enough to give her back her Instructor's licence, even though during these Sorceress-less days she was mostly just an assistant. Quistis didn't care – she had an office next to Squall's and plenty of reasons to interrupt him during the day. But he was also so busy, so preoccupied, or staring blankly out of the window at nothing in particular for hours at a time. Probably thinking about _her_.

Quistis knew, deep down in her heart, that Squall missed Rinoa and still wanted to be with her. But her mind took over and told her that the circumstances were perfect for her to finally attempt a relationship with Squall, even though he had once been her student. Her obsessive crush for him grew and grew each day, as did her fear that any of the group should return to Garden, potentially ruining everything she had worked so hard for over the past five or six months.

_I hate feeling this way_, she thought to herself as she placed the papers on a side table right by the office door. She smoothed her hair – which she wore straight and loose these days, in an attempt to catch Squall's attention – behind her ears once again, before straightening out her skirt and stepping towards Squall's desk.

"Squall," she caught his attention and he looked up. "I just wanted to say again … thank you so much for this opportunity. It really means a lot to me. I feel like Balamb Garden is my home, so-"

"Quistis," Squall interrupted with a small laugh, "Stop thanking me. I just did what Cid would have wanted."

_Not what **you** wanted?_ Quistis thought, grinding her teeth and wringing her fists. _Do you even care, Squall? Wake up! What more do I have to do?!_

"Yes, of course," she replied sweetly, keeping her thoughts to herself. There was silence for a few moments, and Quistis realised that she wasn't going to get any more conversation out of the young Headmaster. "Then, I'll see you in the cafeteria at lunch break?"

"Oh, Quistis!" Squall called out just as she turned to leave. "Just one second."

_**Now** we're getting somewhere_, the Instructor thought smugly as Squall reached into the drawer of his desk and pulled out what looked like two train tickets. He handed them to her.

"Train tickets to Esthar?" Quistis looked down at the tickets in her hand, and felt her heart skip a beat. Okay, it wouldn't have been her destination of choice for a romantic holiday, but still -

"A business trip," Squall explained, and Quistis' heart sank into the bottom of her stomach. "To see Ellone. I'm allowed to bring someone, so, I'd like you to come with me."

"I'd love to!" Quistis burst out, a little too enthusiastic. Squall eyed her up and down suspiciously as she handed the tickets back to him.

"Yes, well," he coughed. "No point hanging around here any longer, is there? I'm sick to death of looking at suggestions. Go and get your bags packed. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"Great!" Quistis breathed, barely able to contain her excitement. She turned to leave once more and she was stopped yet again.

"Hey," a corner of Squall's mouth curled upwards just a tiny amount, creating a friendly smile on his handsome face. "Your hair looks nice today, Quistis."


	6. Yuu

For someone who had willingly assisted an evil Sorceress, destroyed Galbadia Garden, killed an innocent GF, and let the two only members of his posse be killed right in front of him, Seifer Almasy was looking extremely pleased with himself. He had caught a live fish with his bare hands and now toyed with it, tossing it from hand to hand and weaving it through his thick fingers.

Having lost all sense of time, Seifer was unsure of exactly how long he'd been at the research center. He couldn't even work out how long it had been since the whole raft incident. Thumbing the fish's cool, scaly skin, he wondered why he didn't hang around Garden, instead of going off on some wild adventure. But how could he, after all he had done, and how everyone had reacted to him? Cid, Quistis, Squall … he had no regrets – but he wasn't going to stay somewhere he wasn't wanted.

Seifer shrugged off all his thoughts and feelings, and lazily went back to examining his lunch.

"I thought I smelt something fishy," a voice said behind him. Seifer practically jumped out of his skin. Someone talking was the last thing he expected to hear out on this research center in the middle of the ocean. Fearing the worst – that he was hearing things, and therefore going crazy – he turned his head round ever so slowly until his neck was craned as far as it could go and he was peering over his shoulder.

A cowboy in a pale green coat was standing there. With a thumb he tipped the front of his hat in greeting, before striding over to where Seifer was sitting. Tags, chains and charms on his boots and trousers clinked together as he walked heavily across the platform, dragging his feet casually.

Irvine Kinneas reached up and brought down the rifle that was resting on his shoulder, placing the end of the barrel against the metal floor and leaning on it with a smile.

"So, Almasy," he began, as if this was an everyday occurrence, "How've ya been?"

Seifer had spent hours thinking long and hard about the possibly of something like this happening – a boat, or some kind of aircraft, flying by to save him. But he expected some researchers, scientists, or perhaps just holidaymakers of some description to come floating by to his rescue. The last person he expected to see turn up at the Deep Sea Research Center was a comrade of his life-long rival.

Finding no words to say, Seifer was silent for a few moments. Eventually he managed to muster a bumbling, "What are you … why … but how did … where's…?"

Irvine laughed loudly and tossed back his glossy brown ponytail before giving Seifer a friendly slap across his shoulder. "I'll tell you everything you need to know on the way back."

"Back?" Seifer repeated numbly. "Back … where? Balamb?"

"Oh, no, no, not Balamb," Irvine shook his head and his hoop earring jangled noisily with his movement. "We're going to Galbadia."

Seifer was bemused, but as Irvine pointed behind him over into the distance, he saw a fairly large … well, it looked like a spacecraft.

"I've been all around the world, my friend," Irvine explained proudly as he helped the weak teen to his feet. "Picked up this little baby from the Esthar airstation. Got it from Dr Odine – and it wasn't easy, I tell ya. It's called Yuu."

Yuu was blood red, much like the Ragnarok, although much less than half the size. Its shape vaguely resembled that of a wild bird, more specifically, a Thrustaevis. The word Esthar had been printed onto its body in huge blue letters, along with alien-looking symbols and marks in a teal colour.

As Irvine went on to explain the confused Seifer, Yuu's weight was 1,267 tons without the propellant, charge, nor occupants. The weight was 2,278 tons with one third propellant, full charge, and full occupants. And the weight was 2,963 tons with full propellant, full charge, and full occupants. The length was 57 meters and the spaceship's height was 32 meters landing, 54 meters while flying. Although Irvine piloted the craft alone, it had originally been built for a crew of three, including a pilot, navigator, and wireless operator. Adding to this, the ship was also able to carry about eight more occupants. Yuu was also stocked with a number of weapons, including a 279mm charged particle cannon, and two 78mm multi-barreled lasers. It's maximum speed was 6.8km/s, the second cosmic velocity, which is fast enough to launch it into space.

Seifer didn't pick up any of this as he was lead steadily down the sloping platform which would allow him to exit the Deep Sea Research Center. He blocked out Irvine's babbling and gazed up at the ship, the transportation that would finally mark the end of six months of suffering.


	7. Crossing Paths

Selphie Tilmitt hopped off the train which had just screeched to a halt, and readjusted her dark sunglasses. She studied the train platform suspiciously: no one about apart from two train servicemen, a married couple with a very young child, and an important looking businessman on his own. All in all, it was a quiet morning at Balamb train station.

Giving a signal to Zell, who stood behind her with all five of her cases, Selphie made her way through the turnstiles and steadily down the lilac stone steps. The empty train chugged away with a long loud toot of its horn.

"Are you sure that the company doesn't mind me cancelling the rest of the tour?" Selphie asked with concern over her shoulder, which was dressed in an expensive shawl. "I feel terrible."

"You'd be feeling even worse if you carried on in your condition," Zell explained with difficulty as he tried to contend with all of Selphie's luggage, as she only carried a tiny handbag. "You need a break."

Selphie couldn't have agreed more. She removed her sunglasses and gazed over at the scenery. From this end of the town she could see every little stone house, the large and luxurious hotel that stood proud against the horizon, and she could even caught a glimpse of seagulls cruising over the habour.

Selphie snapped out of her dream-like state when she noticed that Zell was gazing thoughtfully at a tiny house along the path, just a few steps away from the junk shop. Then she suddenly remembered – this was Zell's house.

"Why don't you stop by at home, Zell?" Selphie suggested with a smile, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure your mom would love to see you."

"Are you sure?" Zell checked with great concern, then looked over at his home again. "I _would _like to … You really don't mind going to Garden on your own?"

"Of course not," Selphie replied honestly. "Go on, you've been looking after me all day. Go and take some time off."

"Well," Zell began, reaching into his pocket, "I'll give you some money so you can rent a car." He tried to hand her a wad of gil, but she didn't accept it.

"Psssh!" Selphie waved her hand, "It's only a five minute walk away!"

"Well … okay," Zell agreed after some slight hesitation, and pocketed his money. "Don't worry, I won't be too long. It's nearly lunchtime, right? It's been months since I've had a Garden hot dog."

Zell and Selphie's timing couldn't have been worse. Selphie's walk took her barely five minutes, but just as she was dragging her suitcases up to the front gate, Squall and Quistis came trundling out of the car park in a Garden vehicle. What with the window blinds inside the vehicle closed because of the bright sun, and Selphie hurrying excitedly straight into Garden's entrance, each one went completely unnoticed by the other.

* * *

Inside the futuristic, yellow Garden vehicle, Squall was fidgeting with his jacket pockets, looking for something. He pulled out the train tickets to Esthar.

"We'll be catching the 10:52 from platform 3 at Balamb," he reminded Quistis. "Our private carriage is dark blue, it should be pretty easy to spot. And it's an express line straight to Esthar city, so it should take no longer than-"

"-two hours to get there," Quistis finished automatically, and rolled her eyes fondly at her ex-student. "Honestly, Squall. You've been over that three times already. Don't you have anything else to say to me?"

"Just making sure you know the plan," Squall replied, a little hurt. But the truth was that no, he didn't have anything else to say to her. Sure, he had invited her on this trip, but only for moral support. Quistis was an intelligent young woman, she knew all the rules and policies that concerned what could and couldn't be done with Balamb Garden. Squall also knew that Quistis would stand up for him, should Ellone become too boisterous, or even violent. It wasn't likely, but still…

The odd couple stayed awkwardly quiet as the vehicle trundled along, jolting them about over bumps and cracks in the road. Quistis thought desperately of something to say, but no words came to her. Squall however, was perfectly content with sitting in complete silence.

The uncomfortable journey ended as Quistis felt the hot sun disappear, and her body became cool again – they had just passed under the small tunnel that was Balamb town's entrance and exit. She began to gather her belongings as the vehicle drove noisily past the Rent-A-Car, turned a sharp corner by the junk shop – where Zell and Selphie had stood but minutes earlier – and headed past the item shop before coming to a sudden halt, right in front of the steps leading up to the train station. Squall and Quistis wobbled dangerously, but both managed to keep their balance. With a tiny smile, Squall opened the door and Quistis almost thought he was going to be considerate and let her out first, but he didn't. Frowning slightly, she collected her luggage and followed Squall out into the harsh daylight.

"Well, here we are," Quistis confirmed needlessly, longing to spark up some kind of conversation.

Squall gave a quick glance at the clock that was mounted above the train station's entrance. "Our train should be arriving now."

Together they climbed the steps and proceeded through the turnstiles, before heading over a small bridge to reach platform 3. They weren't waiting long before a beautiful, highly detailed and sparkly clean train pulled up gently and quietly. There was a dark blue carriage at the very end, from which a door slid open automatically.

It appeared that Squall and Quistis were the only ones to do board the train – platform 3 was now empty, and there didn't appear to be anyone else at all on the train coming in from Esthar.

Inside the carriage it was extremely luxurious and heavily decorated, although it felt a little desterted – and too quiet. Quistis took a large, comfy seat next to a blue tinted window, and Squall sat opposite her. Quistis looked around. The carriage looked more like a hotel room than a train carriage – but then again, this was a private Esthar carriage, which Ellone had probably picked out and sent for them personally.

"Well," Squall announced, breaking the silence and pulling a very thick book out of his bag. "Let's just relax and enjoy the journey."

Quistis frowned as she noticed the title of Squall's gigantic book. It was _An In-depth Study Of Gunblades – their history, technology, and proposed battle methods_. He opened it up and started reading from the first page.

The disgruntled Instructor made no attempt at hiding her exasperated sigh as she crossed her arms in annoyance and stared angrily out of the tinted window.

_This is going to be the longest train ride of my life_, she thought.


	8. Retreat

It was midnight. Rinoa woke up, switched on her bedside lamp and looked around her bedroom. The rain outside had subdued and all she could hear was a quiet pitter patter. Looking down at herself, she saw that her bed sheets had been pulled tightly over her. Zone must have tucked her in. He did that a lot these days, when Rinoa used to fall asleep suddenly, still wearing her clothes. She was thankful to see that he hadn't undressed her – because Rinoa had a plan.

She had thought about it after she had had her vivid flashback, when she made her wish on the balcony. _What have I been doing all these months?_ she had wondered. _This isn't like me. I miss the Garden. I miss Quistis, Irvine, Selphie, Zell … Squall. I miss being happy._

Slowly and quietly, Rinoa pulled back her bed covers and stood up. She picked up a pretty hand mirror that lay on her desk and gazed into it, staring at her tear-streaked cheeks and puffy red eyes.

_I have to go to see my father_, she told herself. _I have to get my life back on track. I'm going to Galbadia._

As soon as this thought entered her head, Rinoa had a sudden coughing attack – the kind she was so use to these days. Wheezing and spluttering, she collapsed onto her knees and dropped the mirror. It smashed into tiny pieces and she had to cling onto her desk with both hands for support. As she did, the ring that she wore on a chain around her neck poked out from her shirt. She clung onto it desperately while finding the strength to rummage around in a desk drawer. Finally she found what she needed, and pulled out the Griever charm. Holding it to her neck, the coughing vanished almost instantly. Her neck felt comfortably warm, and she gave a sigh of relief. She felt alright again now.

Rinoa didn't know why Squall's Griever charm soothed her so much. She imagined that maybe it was an enchanted item, like Dr Odine's bangles - just like the one she had tried to trick a powerful Sorceress into wearing, once upon a time…

_No time to think about that now,_ she told herself with determination. _It's all in the past._

Rinoa listened carefully for any movement, hoping that neither Zone nor Watts had heard her coughing. It didn't appear they had, as she heard Zone's loud snores coming steadily from the next room, and Watts muttering to himself in his sleep, completely undisturbed. The Forest Owls had once been a large group, and at one point in time they were the only active resistance members in Timber – but that was a long time ago. Now it was just a dying Sorceress and her two life-long friends. But Rinoa simply had nowhere else in the world to go, and Zone and Watts were hardly going to give up their resistance heritage. Not after both their fathers, who were founders of the Timber Owls, had died for their cause.

Gently opening her large cupboard door, Rinoa reached in and pulled out a selection of clothes, stuffing them untidily into a plain black bag. She grabbed a few other things – a hairbrush, cosmetics, and other girly bits and bobs – and that was when she noticed something right in the back of her wardrobe. It was her light blue duster, wrapped over over a black vest and stonewashed denim skirt … her old battle outfit. The war costume that had seen so much bloodshed. Even her pinwheel sat at the bottom of her wardrobe, dusty and lonely. For a split second she considered bringing it with her, then decided that she could hardly bare to look at it, let alone use it again. Even if she _did_ get attacked by monsters on the way there – which was unlikely at this day and age, as the last Lunar Cry had been the one Rinoa had experienced, during the War – no weapon could do any significant amount of damage. Not in the state she was in. Neither did she possess any magic, and of course the GFs she once used had all been returned to Garden, straight after the War.

Content she had everything she needed, Rinoa slipped on a comfy coat and opened her bedroom door as quietly as she could, before proceeding into the main cabin of the Timber Owls base. Once a room for strategy meetings, and a place to store clippings about the President Vinzer Deling, it had now been converted into a living room of sorts. There was a fridge, comfy chairs, a small television and lots of colourful posters adorning the walls. Only then did it hit Rinoa just how long she had stayed in her bedroom. She felt like she hadn't been in this room for years.

Walking over to the fridge, she opened it and took what few scraps were there, then tore a sheet of decorated paper from a nearby pad, pick up a pen and scribbled an urgent note – an explanation for Zone and Watts. She felt that she owed them at least that much after all they had done for her. Setting it under a magnet on the fridge, she adjusted the shoulder straps on her bag.

_I'm ready_, she thought, and turned on her heel to leave the base and step out into the cold, dark nght.

_ "Zone and Watts,  
I have decided to travel to Deling City, to see my father, General Caraway. Please do not come after me. I don't know when I'll be back, but I'll make sure to find a way to contact you. So please don't worry about me any longer.  
Love, Rinoa."_


	9. Trapped

"Not here?" Selphie's shoulders slouched with disappointment. "Well, where is he?"

Xu looked across the table at Selphie as oblivious students bustled around the cafeteria nosily. The pair had picked a quiet corner to sit at almost as soon as Selphie had arrived, and Xu promptly put all other Garden business on hold, grabbed two drinks, and began catching up with the ex-Garden student.

"He's gone to Esthar with Quistis," Xu paused and wet her lips as she took a nervous glance down into her cup, "…to see Ellone."

Selphie became very excited about this. "Ellone! Wow! I haven't seen her since-"

"Shh!" Xu suddenly snapped, and Selphie fell quiet with surprise. Xu sighed. "Look, there's been a lot going on since you left to pursue your singing career. A lot which, I assume, you haven't heard about."

Selphie didn't say anything, but her confused frown forced Xu to continue.

"First of all, Squall is the Headmaster here now," she explained slowly. "Quistis is an Instructor again – or at least, that's her official title. As you've probably noticed, there are barely any students left here. After the Ultimecia War, they all left to seek other jobs. There's really no point in training people up, what with no Sorceress to fight – so really, Quistis is more of an assistant to Squall, while he tries to work out what would be the best to do with Garden. He gets a lot of suggestions, but hasn't decided on a final one yet.

"Ellone has been the President of Esthar ever since Laguna took off and left her in his place. Everything was fine for a few months, so peaceful … but, seemingly overnight, she just turned. Developed a great hatred for all Sorceresses, demanding that more Tombs be put up, and Sorceress be sealed into them. As you would know, this includes Rinoa, of course." Xu rolled her eyes with exasperation. "So Squall and Rinoa have lost contact, all thanks to Ellone. Anyway … Ellone has proposed to Squall that Garden become some sort of mobile tomb, I don't know … I don't think he agrees, but he's gone to visit her all the same. I think he hopes Laguna might be there."

Zell, as you've said, has been with you. Cid retired and went with Edea to live back at the old orphanage – they've renovated it, quite a nice job I hear … and Irvine, well … you already know."

Selphie stayed very quiet and showed no emotion as she absorbed all of this information.

"What do we do now?" was all she could manage to say. Xu didn't say anything. All she could offer Selphie was a helpless shrug, just as Zell approached them with a delighted and friendly grin.

"Xu!" he boisterously shook her hand with one hand, and slapped the other on her back roughly. "Man, how long's it been since I've seen you? Hey, where's Squall? And Quistis?"

"Sit down, Zell," Selphie said gently, tugging on his hand. "There's been some stuff going on that we need to tell you…"

"Would you like a drink?" Quistis asked in what she imagined was her most gentle and sweet voice. Squall barely even glanced up from his massive book.

"Hmm?" he muttered gruffly. "Oh, no thanks."

Quistis sharply rose from her seat and stomped over to the mini bar in a very unfeminine way. She couldn't help but grind her teeth together and she roughly poured herself a small drink and gulped it down. When she imagined spending over two hours with Squall in a romantic-looking and peaceful train carriage, she had pictured long, intelligent conversation, witty jokes, and making toasts to their future with tasty, refreshing drinks in expensive glasses…

"Pah," she laughed at herself under her breath for her naivety and as she went to pour another drink. As she lifted up the heavy bottle and began pouring, the whole train began rocking back at forth.

"Woah!" Quistis couldn't help crying out as she stumbled sideways. Both the glass and the bottle flew out of her hands and smashed on the floor, leaking flammable liquid all over the carpet. "What's going on!"

Squall clutched onto a nearby safety rail and pulled himself from his seat, his book clattering to the floor. There was a deafening screech as the entire carriage swayed fiercely before the train finally ground to a sudden halt – and Quistis and Squall were flung at the walls as it did.

Quistis rocketed into a heavy door headfirst, and the window above her smashed. Pieces of glass rained down onto her still body as she collapsed into a heap on the floor. Luckily, Squall has softened his fall by sliding across the floor on his feet and the train stopped. He felt a few bruises on his legs, but he was generally fine, apart from a little shook up and surprised. Just as he noticed Quistis lying unconscious, blood seeping slowly from a nasty wound on her head, the cabin door opened slowly and a person stepped in.

"Ellone!"

The President of Esthar eyed her brother, then the peach-coloured heap in the corner.

"Hmm," she mused. "I shall have to ask my driver not to stop so suddenly next time."

A horrible sickly smile spread across her face as Ellone clicked her fingers, and four bulky Esthar soldiers stepped in. Squall tried to rise onto his feet.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Have you been on this train the whole time!"

"Correct," Ellone smiled, and took a step forward. "You see Squall, I know you'd never surrender Garden to me willingly – no matter what I wanted to use it for. I also knew you'd keep the train tickets, so you could come and see father. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Squall. Laguna's not at Esthar, nor is he coming."

"But what I _didn't_ know," Ellone changed her tone of voice as she eyed Quistis again, giving her a prod with her foot, "Is that you'd bring someone. I thought the proud lone wolf Squall would come alone. Obviously not. Now I have to resort to kidnap to get what I want. And that's Balamb Garden."

Ellone laughed proudly as Squall's dismayed face. "I've already sent Xu a message from 'you', telling her to get Garden's mobility mechanism up and working. It's going to become a tomb, just like the rest. That's right, Squall. Balamb, Galbadia, even the freshly restored Trabia Garden. The more Sorceresses I can seal, the better."

"You're unbelievable! Why are doing this to us all!" Squall questioned her. "Rinoa's not even-"

"DON'T SAY THAT NAME!" Ellone roared suddenly, in a voice that wasn't her own, while raising up her hand high above her head. With a loud crackle and many popping noises, a black energy ball began to form in Ellone's hand. Suddenly something on her wrist caught the light, and in a split second Squall saw a large silver bangle as her hand came down and the black energy flew towards him. The bangle that Ellone wore had a marking on it – a name.

_Odine…_


	10. A Chance Meeting

Rinoa Heartilly, formerly Rinoa Caraway, disembarked the train and found herself once again at Galbadia station. It had been a very long time since she'd last been here. Frantic with worry and a little scared, she stood alone on the platform as busy people pushed and shoved past her. She was surprised how many people were around at this time of night – well, morning – but Deling City was always bustling with life.

She gulped, clutched onto her bag strap tightly and felt her feet carry her towards the escalators that would take her upwards to the world outside. When she had reached the street, she felt tears well up in her eyes.

_What am I doing here?_ She thought. _I can't even remember where to go…_

Rinoa breathed a sigh of relief as she spotted a cluster of people making their way to a bus station, just as one of the heavy, tank-like Deling buses rolled up and stopped with a slight slide of it's tyres.

"This bus stops at the Shopping Arcade and Caraway's Mansion," the guard nearby said as people began boarding it eagerly. "Shopping Arcade and Caraway's Mansion."

In a hurry, Rinoa jogged over and pulled herself up into the tiny bus. Paying her 15 gil, she then took a seat right at the front and very close to the door. The bus doors slid shut with a wet squeak from the rain and the bus trundled on, to its first destination.

After chugging noisily through the shopping arcade, where no one got off – everywhere except the hotel was closed – the bus ground to a halt outside Caraway's mansion … Rinoa's old home. She had lived there until she was 16, when she had gone on a wild, rebellious protest against her father; moving in with the Timber Owls, coming up with crazy plans, employing SeeDs…

As the other bus passengers went their various other ways, Rinoa was the only one to stay anywhere near the great mansion. With a sick, nervous feeling, she took in a deep breath to compose herself, and began walking up the path.

_What am I going to say?_ She wondered. Back at the base, she had acted too quickly to even really _think_ about what would happen when she got to Galbadia.

But only then, in the darkness, did Rinoa notice that the mansion looked different from before. The windows were boarded up with soggy, moss covered wood. Rusty nails held a board across the once grand doorway. Everywhere there lay broken glass, weeds, old newspapers and bits of rubbish. It was obvious to anyone that there no longer was anybody living in this house.

Feeling very ill, Rinoa rushed back down the path and grabbed the first person that came along.

"Excuse me," Rinoa panted, wiping her slightly damp fringe from her eyes. "Can you tell me where General Caraway lives, please?"

The young woman looked at Rinoa with confusion. "Are you kiddin', girl? Not from around here, are ya?"

"Please, just tell me!" Rinoa burst with desperation.

"Awright, calm down little lady," the woman said, brushing down the collar of her jacket, which Rinoa had just grabbed. "General Caraway died last month."

The sentence echoed in Rinoa's mind as her heart seemed to stop beating. As those five innocent words crept into her ears, she knew she would be hearing them forever.

"Yep. Was killed by Esthar soldiers, after he wouldn't tell them where his daughter was hidin'. You know Rinoa Heartilly, right? From the Ultimecia War? Well, she's a Sorceress, right, and that what's-her-name … Ellone Liore, that's it. The President of Esthar … well, she obviously wants that Rinoa dead for some reason or another. Damn, girly. Have you been living on the Moon for the past six months or somethin'?"

Rinoa couldn't reply, as she roughly pushed the helpful woman out of the way and was violently sick in the road.

* * *

At the Deling City hotel bar, Seifer Almasy was eagerly unwrapping a candy bar.

"I don't know how you can eat junk," Irvine Kinneas commented as he lifted his glass up to his mouth.

"Man, right now I'm so hungry I could eat a whole Malboro – tentacles an' all."

"…Ew."

Irvine and Seifer, during their travel across half the world to get from the Deep Sea Research Centre to Deling City, had quickly bonded and formed an odd friendship. They didn't need to talk too heavily or deeply; they just kind of understood each other's situation. Irvine could see that Seifer had changed, and even though he used to be a sniper, Irvine was not evil and murderous in his nature – if someone needed help, he'd help them out.

Meanwhile Seifer, who hadn't got the time to get to know Irvine very well in the first place, had decided that Irvine was one of the best and safest people to be around. Seifer would be forever grateful for Irvine's rescue – he had saved his life.

As it turned out, Irvine had worked out what to do no further than arriving at Deling City and having a drink in the hotel bar. He assumed they would get rooms, chill out for a bit, just catch up on news and relax…Then, he suddenly realised. He wouldn't be able to visit Galbadia Garden, where he spent so many years … the man sitting right beside him had destroyed it in a ruthless Garden War. So why didn't Irvine feel angry? Because they'd all been through so much? Because, even though they'd both forgotten, Seifer and Irvine grew up together…?

As Seifer crammed the last of the bar into his mouth, Irvine put his thoughts to the back of his mind and set down his glass casually.

"Well, it's getting late," he announced. "Guess we should call it a day."

"You _did_ get us separate rooms, right?" Seifer asked suspiciously with an eyebrow raised. Irvine laughed loudly.

"Of course I did! C'mon," he gestured for Seifer to stand up and follow him as the two young men made their way up the slightly spiralled staircase, out of the dimly lit bar and into the brightness of the hotel reception. As Irvine lifted his arms up behind his back and let out a large yawn, Seifer stopped dead in his tracks and gave Irvine a hard pinch on his arm.

"Ouch! What'd-"

Irvine stopped talking almost as abruptly as Seifer had stopped walking. Directly in front of them, slouching casually and talking sweetly and politely, was a raven-haired girl with scruffy clothes and a large bag. She was speaking to the short woman at the reception desk.

"Yes, just a single please," she was saying, and the voice rocketed into Irvine and Seifer's heads. It was her, no doubt about it. The woman on the other side of the counter said something inaudible.

Rinoa let out an embarrassed, nervous laugh. "Oh, right, my purse … um, 300 gil, was it? … Um, sorry … I know it's round her somewhere, I – I just got the bus, you see, so I do have money with me…"

Her cheeks became tinted in a rose colour as she fumbled about with her coat and trouser pockets, before zipping open her bag.

Before Irvine could grab his arm and stop him, Seifer had stepped forward with a wad of notes in his hand.

"I'll get this for the young lady," he nodded to the receptionist politely. Rinoa, her fringe fallen in front of her eyes, didn't see who it was. Thinking it was some sort of sleazy admirer who had followed her in off the street, she began protesting thankfully.

"Oh, no, that's quite alright, really, I mean, thank you, but I've got the money, I was planning on staying somewhere else tonight, but things haven't gone to plan, you see, so anyway, I'm sure my purse is right-"

A kind, gentle hand on her shoulder was the only thing that made her look up, and it was a memorable touch that sent shivers down her spine and the hairs on the end of her neck stood up. Only then did she push her hair out of the way and look at him, the blonde-haired man who was gazing down at her from his tall height with piercing icy blue eyes.

As Rinoa felt the sickening feeling rise up into her throat again, she promptly whirled round, grabbed onto the nearest thing in front of her - a plant pot - and retched noisily into it.


	11. Blind

When Quistis came to, she was completely unaware of where she was for a few moments. She stumbled to her feet in a frantic, confused panic before recognising the train cabin in an instant. The side of her head was throbbing; she lifted a hand up to it and felt cool, sticky, half-dry blood than ran all the way down her face and cheek. Then she realised something else – she couldn't see. She blinked, she waved a hand infront of her eyes, she closed and shut them tightly multiple times – but nothing seemed to work.

_Just temporary blindness_, she told herself firmly. She had partial vision, but the large percentage of her eyesight was blocked with what seemed to be a grey cloudy … substance, was it? It was extremely odd, but Quistis didn't have to worry about that right now.

"Squall?" she called out, groping the air infront of her helplessly, but coming into contact with nothing. She was embarrassed about how anxious her voice sounded.

"Squall?" she said again, even more shakily. Panting uncontrollably, she strained her ears to listen for any noise. All she could hear was the train clickety-clacketing gently along the track. But clutching onto a nearby chair and gathering her bearings, she noted that the train was moving in the opposite direction to what it had been before. It was heading back to Balamb.

When Squall came to, he was completely unaware of where he was also. Feeling very groggy, his head lolled on his chest, and he struggled to lift it up so he could take a look around. His neck ached like nothing he had felt before and the coolness on his back told him that he was sat against a wall. He gently slid down further and lay on his back against the floor, which was also cold, hard metal. Remembering his SeeD training, he came to the conclusion that his neck possibly had a strain or had been twisted somehow, and the best way to soothe this was to fly flat on one's back against a hard surface and rest until the pain subsided.

Squall's deep brown eyes flickered nervously around the mysterious room, but all he could see was bright lights shining down on him and some sort of control pad on the wall. The rest of the room was completely empty, and out of the corner of his eye he thought he could see some sort of door – with bars across it. A prison cell, obviously.

_In Esthar?_ Squall thought to himself. The décor was certainly reminiscent of the country of Esthar, or at least the Esthar that Squall had last visited some 7 or 8 months ago, during the Ultimeca War. Being so technologically advanced, maybe the country had changed completely. Maybe not.

_Quistis isn't here_, was one of his early thoughts. His mind was spinning._ Oh, Hyne … what's happened to her?_

_Odine … Doctor Odine, from Esthar … Bangles that can supress a Sorceress' powers … but Ellone's no Sorceress …_

He rubbed his hands together through his black leather gloves, fidgeting like a nervous child, and he found it unusually soothing.

…_Where **are** you, Quistis!_

* * *

"Instructor Trepe! It's Instructor Trepe!"

Back at Balamb Garden, Selphie and Zell were hanging around the main foyer. Earlier that day, Xu had received a message from Squall requesting that she get Garden's mobility mechanism up and running. Then, minutes later, she had received a phone call from Balamb train station, informing her that a woman who said her name was Quistis Trepe came off a train from Esthar, and was in a very bad way.

Xu called Selphie and Zell, possibly the highest ranking people left in Garden other than herself, down to the foyer. Meanwhile, Xu herself hopped into a Garden vehicle and rushed to get Quistis. They had just appeared through the turnstiles when a crowd of concerned students leapt on them.

Students were gasping, clambering to get a look, and throwing each other worried glances.

"Look, here they are!" Selphie gasped and rushed forward, Zell following close behind.

Quistis had a huge wound on her head, and a bandage wrapped tightly around both her eyes. Xu, who now heaved up Quistis in her arms and carried her the way a groom carries a bride, looked relieved to see Zell and Selphie.

"Of all the times for Doctor Kadowaki to go on holiday!" Xu grunted under the weight. Quistis was groaning softly in pain. "And Squall's our only other qualified first aider! C'mon, you two. We'd better go to the Infirmary to see what we can do."

"What in Hyne's name happened!" Zell burst, as the trio strode along, Xu trying to shoo away the crowd of gathered students.

"I wish I knew," Xu sighed, turning sharply into an open-air corridor that would take the group into the Infirmary. "Something's not right. A sudden email from Squall asking me to get the Garden's mobility mechanism working, then mere seconds – _seconds_ later – Quistis arrives back in Balamb in a train carriage that's been totally smashed up, and Squall's nowhere to be found."

There was an electronic woosh as the automatic door leading to the small medical room slid open. It closed behind the group of four, and Selphie thoughtfully entered a code onto the keypad beside the door that would lock it, and keep out the interfering students.

"Quistis, can you hear me?" Selphie asked softly, gripping one of Quistis' cold hands. Quistis groaned softly in reply, while Xu strode over to Dr Kadowaki's computer and began typing furiously.

"I'm going to see if I can contact Squall," she explained to the others. "Oh, I wish I knew what has happened."

"S'gotta be Ellone!" Zell suddenly slammed a fist onto his open hand. "If everything you said about Ellone is true, Xu-"

"Of course it is!" Xu barked.

"-Then it must be her!"

"Kidnap?" Selphie wondered aloud, raising to her feet, but keeping an anxious eye on the Instructor.

"The only one who really knows for sure," Xu began, looking up from the computer screen, "…is Quistis."

The three looked on her in silence.

"_Train stopped,_" Quistis managed to croak, and her voice was hoarse. "_…heard voices … Squall … arguing … _Ellone."

"Gotcha!" Zell burst proudly, and Selphie hurriedly shushed him as Quistis tried to continue.

"_Kidnap…_" Quistis confirmed with difficulty. "_She wants … Garden_."

With this, the Instructor's head lolled on her chest and she fell unconscious.


End file.
